Uni life!

Lucy Tobin is a 23 year graduate from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, with a First in English achieved in 2008. She is currently working in London as a journalist and her work appears regularly in national newspapers including the Guardian, Sunday Times, and Daily Mail.  This is her first book.
There is little doubt that in making the transition from second level to third level 'survival' at university requires quite a few skills that need addressing in any current sixth form learning for life and work (LLW) programmes of work. I would like to think this book might inform decisions about any meaningful sixth form PSHE/CEIAG schemes of work.


What makes this particular work stand out from a number of survival guides that I have used with sixth formers in the recent past is the fact that it was designed in this student's third year on her course with fellow peers experiencing many of the problems and difficulties of those who leave for university unprepared.

 What began as a compilation of a list the students wished they'd been aware of before arriving at university took shape in this compact 173 page paperback that contains useful tips on; freshers' week, money, halls and housing, health, food, work, exams, righting wrongs, ending with a useful chapter on help and resources. This is a guide for students by students! What has been most valuable for Lucy in writing the book has been the daily experiences, whinges and fun shared by her friends and herself during their three years at uni.

In reading each chapter I was drawn to how I might convert the content to practical experiential lessons for the current sixth formers. I can think of a fun exercise I would do with students based on Uni lingo.  I would be very interested in hearing about the lessons you could devise from pages 163 to 167! So the book can be used on a number of different levels - as a resource for the teacher, as a general reader for students, or perhaps as a required purchase for each aspirant university undergraduate as he/she navigates their way through the uni experience.

Freshers' week: For one week at least you will be centre of attention and have the university all to yourself! How will you cope with emotional separation, embrace new interests and activities, take to advice on keeping yourself and your possessions safe and secure?

Money: Here's advice on how to prudently pick a student bank account and guard against being swayed by shallow freebies, information on getting a student job, and paying tax, and of course, where to turn to when, inevitably, you run out of money!!

Accommodation: Where you live and who you will live with will have a big bearing on your day-to-day happiness. Increasingly more and more students are deciding to stay at home and commute to their course.  How would you handle this change of emphasis on study while still remaining at home?

Health: If you have taken the option not to remain at home and study, who's going to look after you if you fall ill? Registering with doctors and dentists are important when away from home, coping with student stress and homesickness, who to talk to when you're feeling down or need advice and information on personal issues affecting your well being are all covered in this chapter.

Food: To prevent illness in the first place you need to ensure you eat well! This chapter provides tips on how to shop, what to buy and some favourite student menus!

Exams/Assignments: Wasn't the whole point of going to university to enhance my qualifications? Rarely in school are we prepared for the independent learning skills we need to cope with lectures, taking notes, writing essays, dissertations or doing experiments. What if your university gives you the opportunity to spend time studying abroad? There are some key guidelines here on this developing trend.

Righting the Wrongs: Here's an interesting chapter in any publication dealing with decisions. Here, there is an opportunity to reflect on  whether you have picked the right course, accommodation or even university and who to turn to if any of these decisions are giving you sleepless nights.